Since before the dawn of civilization, humans have been administering herbs and other plants by any effective means possible. First, early man realized that certain foods provided beneficial effects. Over time, the wisest of the tribes discovered that some herbs, roots, and other natural components have curative properties. The administration of compounds through food or water was the most common and intentional methods used by our ancestors. Later, the civilized people discovered the effects of topical applications. Eventually, particulates suspended in air and administered through pulmonary application were discovered.
The first inhalants were consumed by inhaling smoke, presumably discovered when certain plant matter was burned in a campfire and the tribal “doctor” drew the connection between the inhalation of smoke and the effects on his people. Eventually, methods of harnessing the smoke were developed. Medicine pipes were invented and revered. In some cases, sophisticated traditions were created around smoking of a pipe. In time, cigarettes were also created.
Almost every culture across the world used local materials and knowledge to create new designs of pipes to achieve an easy and effective method of smoking. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the hookah and water pipe were introduced in Europe following the introduction of tobacco from the new world. The water pipe was introduced in China during the late Ming Dynasty, also for smoking tobacco. The addition of water into the smoking device allowed for cooling and filtering of the smoke. Water filtration provided a healthier and preferred smoke.
In the late twentieth century, the youth of the US searched for novel ways to smoke tobacco and other organic matter using water. One inventive method utilized a disposable plastic bottle and a container filled with liquid, sometimes referred to as a gravity bong. A user would create a cap for a single use through modification of the existing bottle cap by melting the plastic and adding a receptacle for combustible substances. This created issues with poor hermetic sealing, dangerous thermal issues, no reusability, and no portability, no usability on different type of plastic bottles, among other problems. In addition, the known methods did not have the benefits of utilizing the water for filtration.
Thus, there exists a need for a portable device capable of fitting on vessels with varying sized openings and allowing for water filtration.